Do jabs put your kitten under the weather?

Q: Our little kitten Tiggy recently had his first ever vaccination, and was really sad and quiet afterwards. It worried us, and made us think twice about any further jabs. What do you think?

A: You should discuss this with your vet, although generally I would say it’s important to have a young cat fully vaccinated against the harmful and common viruses in our environment. To be a little quiet and off food is a fairly normal reaction to a vaccination – very similar to how we or our children feel after routine jabs – though anything more severe should always be reported to your vet.

If the reaction is deemed severe, then there are other vaccines on the market where the active ingredients are modified or ‘killed’. These still offer some level of protection and might be more suited to your new kitten.